Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in RI Politics?

Friday, November 18, 2011

Dan McGowan, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

 

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Who’s Hot

Gina Raimondo -> She’ll never have the support of labor ever again, but Treasurer Raimondo deserves kudos for putting her neck on the line and following through on a commitment to overhaul the state’s pension system. It’s rare in this state to see a politician propose sweeping changes to anything -much less an issue as polarizing as pensions- and actually get it done.

Brendan Doherty -> It is still far too early to, as one GOP source did Wednesday night, call Brendan Doherty the winner of next year’s potential Republican primary with John Loughlin. But the former head of the state police does look stronger now that the he won’t have to be involved in a closed primary. The question is, can he defeat John Loughlin in the debates?

Angel Taveras -> It was a rough week for Mayor Taveras, who watched as the leading anti-poverty organization in his city took a hit thanks to what he called “staggering mismanagement” by ProCAP’s top staff. To his credit, Taveras hasn’t just been a talking head in this controversy. As WPRI.com first reported, he also returned a campaign donation to ProCAP executive director Frank Corbishley. The same can’t be said for other pols in the city.

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Political Aspirations -> The one glaring point that comes from the pension bill passage this week is that while everyone involved has added a few bruises to their reputation, no politician leaves the debate with their career in shambles. Treasurer Raimondo lost some progressives, but picked up conservatives. Governor Chafee lost some union support, but likely earned the respect of mayors in a number of cities. And the General Assembly leadership managed to concede enough that it won’t face much backlash on either side.

Barry Hinckley -> It’s probably going to take some sort of bombshell against Senator Whitehouse for Barry Hinckley to win the Senate race next year, but he’s certainly doing a good job softening the incumbent up. As Hinckley promotes a pro-business agenda, the Senator is facing criticism for an insider trading scandal, which gives the challenger even more firepower.

Charles Lombardi -> You have to love the brutal honesty of the North Providence Mayor, who recently blasted a former police officer (and now a member of the fire department) who wants free health insurance despite making nearly $120,000 per year. Unions have a right to be unhappy this year, but members of the $100k club aren’t the ones they should be going to bat for.

Shelia Dormody -> Excellent move by the city of Providence to hire the longtime Clean Water Action director as its first Sustainability Director. It’s a move the actually demonstrates the city’s commitment to “going green,” as opposed to just saying that’s what it wants.

Newt Gingrich -> He’s the best politician among the GOP hopefuls and every time he takes the stage during a debate, he proves he’s also the smartest candidate in the race. Now he’s on the rise in the polls and given all the other candidates’ flaws, the former House Speaker might be the favorite.

Who’s Not

Sheldon Whitehouse -> In a time where wealth makes people angry, it’s a nightmare for the Senator to be caught up in accusations of insider trading. It will only get worse if Congress passes laws against the sort of practice the Senator was allegedly involved in.

Frank Corbishley -> The ProCAP executive director still has a lot of supporters in the city, but it’s hard to ignore the mismanagement accusations that have come to light in recent weeks. For the good of the organization, it’s probably time for Corbishley to step away.

John Loughlin -> The former State Rep. and Congressional candidate will now come home to an open primary and an opponent who will have a $500,000 advantage against him. Loughlin may deserve a rematch with Congressman Cicilline, but doubt has to be setting in.

Rhode Island Economy -> Another month and more jobs were lost as Rhode Island braces for what could be a double-dip recession, according to some economists. The argument in favor of pension reform was that it was time to make the state more business friendly. Let’s hope that proves to be true.

Twin River -> Massachusetts is beating Rhode Island on casino gambling and even when table gaming is approved, it is unlikely Twin River is ever going to be able to compete with three resort-style casinos in the Bay State. The big question: How will the state make up for its third largest revenue source if the revenue begins to decline?

Joseph Caramadre -> Indicted on 66 charges for allegedly scamming the sick and the elderly out of over $25 million. Disgusting.

Dan McGowan can be reached at [email protected]

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